11 Goran DRAGIĆ (Slovenia)
22/02/2015
Jeff Taylor's Eurovision
to read

The Dragon trades the desert for Miami

VALENCIA (Jeff Taylor's Eurovision) -  It can be a tough existence at times for those who earn a living in professional basketball.

There is glamor, of course, and very good livings to be made for some.

There is the thrill of competition, but also the uncertainty.

Players and coaches have to accept that moving from one team to another is just the way it is.

You want to put down roots? Go ahead and buy a house but be prepared to live there for only a few months of the year, at least while an active player.

Unless you are a basketball deity as Juan Carlos Navarro is in Spain with Barcelona and have the chance to stay with the same team for as long you want, you move.

That being said, even Navarro played a year in the NBA for the Memphis Grizzlies before deciding to return home.

Of late, a lot of people are on the move and that includes Slovenia's Dragic brothers, Goran and Zoran.

You've known Goran in Europe for a long time, since 2007 when he burst onto the international scene at the EuroBasket in Spain.

At EuroBasket 2013, he was an all-tournament selection and last year, he led Slovenia at the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

This year, the Phoenix Suns changed the picture.

They did not allow Goran, who made the All-NBA Third Team last year, to be Goran.

They wouldn't let him be the same player that he was last season, when he was All-NBA Third Team.

Goran is an NBA point guard. An excellent point guard, yet the Suns didn't appreciate it. They crowded their backcourt and took the ball out of his hands.

They made him stand in the corner or on the wing.

Okay, Goran is not MJ, not LeBron, not Kobe and Phoenix are in the business of winning games and making decisions that take them closer to the promised land.

But Goran deserved better.

By shaking up their offense, it was almost disrespectful to him, and he voiced that sentiment the past couple of weeks.

After telling the Suns he didn't trust them anymore and that he would leave after the season as an unrestricted free agent, they traded him and his brother, Zoran, to Miami on Thursday.

You know what that said about Goran? 

He's focused, determined and unyielding, just as he was when trying to make it in the NBA.

The 28-year-old worked too hard to get to where he is to just accept a reduced role.

He should feel very good now that he played hard ball with the Suns because now, he's going to be a point guard again.

Goran also had his excellence confirmed by His Excellency, NBA great Pat Riley.

Riley, the Miami Heat president, has done nothing but coach great teams and build championship sides in his career.

That is a real compliment to Goran, that Riley wanted 'The Dragon'.

Will younger brother Zoran play? Who knows, and who cares? It would have been strange, even uncomfortable, for him to remain in Phoenix without his brother.

Now, the two are going to be playing the game they love, seeing each other on a daily basis and occasionally heading off to Miami Beach to soak up the sun.

What is obvious about Goran is that in the past couple of years, he has become a real leader, be it with Slovenia or in the NBA.

He's bold.

He'll even tweet on controversial subjects, as he did last year at the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

With that in mind, there are probably some Australians that hope he falls flat on his face in Miami.

All that matters now is that Goran has forced Phoenix's hand.

He's got a new job, and what an exciting one it is.

Jeff Taylor

FIBA

FIBA's columnists write on a wide range of topics relating to basketball that are of interest to them. The opinions they express are their own and in no way reflect those of FIBA.

FIBA takes no responsibility and gives no guarantees, warranties or representations, implied or otherwise, for the content or accuracy of the content and opinion expressed in the above article.

Jeff Taylor

Jeff Taylor

Jeff Taylor, a North Carolina native and UNC Chapel Hill graduate, has been a journalist since 1990. He started covering international basketball after moving to Europe in 1996. Jeff provides insight and opinion every week about players and teams on the old continent that are causing a buzz.